Let Me Go
by IronHeartWriter
Summary: Nobody was supposed to remember the future that Logan helped prevent, but what happens when flashes of the past start appearing in the mind of the young woman who sent Logan back in the first place?
1. Chapter 1

AN: This story was inspired by 'Let Me Go' by Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger. The reasons why will probably come up later on in the story, but for now I hope that you all enjoy the first chapter.

* * *

Kitty Pryde was in a bad mood. Then again, everything that went through her mind those days seemed to be dark and gloomy. She was supposed to be the logical thinker, the one who always had her head straight, but at the moment, she couldn't get her head clear for the life of her. She sighed softly from the spot where she sat perched on a tree branch. She wasn't actually sitting on it, but more like sitting partially phased through the branch. It felt easier those days to just stay in her natural, unsolid state. It took less energy out of her, and those days, just getting out of bed took the majority of her energy. She didn't mean to be down and in the slump that she was in, but she knew something was truly wrong.

Ever since Xavier had told them about Logan and his trip to the past with her help that set off a huge chain reaction on their future, she was getting flashes of things that she couldn't understand or really explain to anyone. They came to her at random times during the days, and often in dreams. Visions of a different time, a time that she wasn't supposed to know were all that she saw. She saw the same people with her all the time, though. It was always her, Bobby, Colossus, Blink, Bishop, Warpath, Sunspot, Storm, Logan, and of course Professor X and Magneto. Even if she didn't know them in this future, she heard their names in her visions. She heard them yelling to each other, each of them always relying on her advanced ability of being able to send their subconscious back in time in order to get them out of wherever they were before the attacks.

And the attacks she saw shook Kitty to her core. She saw destruction like she had never known. Everyone around her was murdered in the most brutal way by monsters that were specially made to kill each and every one of them. That future, if she was honest, terrified the shit out of her. Everything had been different, including herself. She had never seen her friends and comrades display their strengths like that, but it made sense to her; as things got worse, they had no choice but to adapt.

But that's not all that had been different, or all that she had been remembering. In the dark future that Logan had prevented, she had been together with Bobby. She had loved him and he loved her. They were all that they felt that they truly had to hold onto. But now, in the current time, the timeline that Logan had fixed, Bobby was back with Rogue and she was on her own. Remembering their relationship that no longer existed was proving to be the most painful part of the visions that she was having, and she couldn't tell a single soul.

Kitty felt her phone buzz against her side. She pulled it out of her jeans and looked at it. The devil himself was calling her. Poor Bobby; he was really trying to be her friend, but he didn't know why she was trying so hard to keep him at a distance. It was too painful for her to be having the visions she was having and be near him. She hit the ignore button and put her phone back into the pocket of the black hoodie she was wearing to blend in with the darkness around her. She was thinking about going back inside and finding something to help her sleep when the tree she was sitting on started creaking. She felt the air around her suddenly chill and she saw ice starting to form on the branch she was perched on.

"Son of a—Bobby!" Kitty growled as she looked down. Sure enough, Bobby Drake was looking up at her from the ground, ice forming around the tree from where his hand was placed on the tree. "Enough already, Bobby," She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Come down and talk to me, then," Bobby said, removing his hand from the tree, allowing the ice to start to melt in the warm air.

"I thought that you would have picked up on the fact that I didn't answer your phone call that I didn't want to talk," Kitty said, not moving an inch and not even looking at Bobby, but staring out into the darkness.

"You never want to talk to me anymore," Bobby pointed out. "Then again, you never want to talk to anyone, it seems, and people are starting to worry about you."

Kitty rolled her eyes and allowed herself to sink fully through the branch, landing easily on her feet beside Bobby, "Well, if all of you would stop talking about me behind my back, maybe I'd want to talk to at least one of you, but as it is, I have no interest in talking to anyone, least of all you."

Bobby blinked, a hurt look appearing on his face, and Kitty instantly felt a little bad for her words, but she wasn't about to take them back, "Kitty, what the hell did I do to you? You've never pushed me away like this. Haven't we always been friends? I've always been there for you and you've done the same for me until recently. I don't understand what I could have done to have made you so angry with me."

Bobby's words made Kitty's chest tighten a little bit. Yes, in this time they'd always been friends, she'd always been able to talk to Bobby about anything, and he talked to her openly, even though he was with Rogue, but she remembered things that he clearly didn't and probably never would. She remembered just how close _they_ had been when they didn't have anyone else in the world to truly rely on.

"Bobby, just drop it," Kitty said at last in a resigned tone, feeling more than a little defeated. She turned on him and started to walk away, feeling more and more like the grounds of the school were closing in on her. She heard Bobby growl behind her and start after her, and as he reached out to grab her arm, she made sure to shift just a bit so his hand went right through her.

"Damn it, Kitty, why won't you just talk to me?" Bobby demanded. "I've never done anything to hurt you, at least not that I can remember—"

"That's the fucking point, Bobby!" Kitty snapped finally, her dark eyes blazing in the dim light as she turned to face him once again. "You _can't_ remember. There's only one person who's supposed to be able to remember, but instead, I'm stuck here having these flashes of things that don't exist and aren't even supposed to matter. I helped create this future by sending Logan to the past and in the end, everyone gets to be happy, but I'm the one left out in the cold."

Bobby was silent for a few moments as Kitty's breath was suddenly coming in rapid, sharp breaths. She hadn't meant to have an outburst like that, and she knew Bobby had no idea what she was talking about, but she couldn't hold in what was on her mind when Bobby had snapped at her like he had.

"Kitty…." Bobby broke the silence at last and took a step toward her.

"Just… stop," Kitty said in a soft tone, moving her fingers through her hair. She felt like she had just run around the grounds of the school several times without stopping. "Bobby, please. Things are just easier this way. You've got Rogue. She's so happy with you these days, and I know you're happy with her. Just please, _stop_ trying to get me to talk to you. Trust me, we're both better off."

"Yeah, because you're _clearly_ doing so well," Bobby commented. He was truly worried about Kitty. Something was wrong with her and she was so determined to not let anyone in that she seemed to constantly be close to self-destructing. Bobby felt like he was seriously close to losing the young woman who he considered to be one of his closest friends. "I wish you would just open up to _someone_. Screw it, it doesn't have to be me, Kitty, but we're all worried about you. We all see what's been happening to you on the outside since Logan got back and Xavier explained to us what had happened; I can only imagine what's going on inside of your head."

"It's not your problem to fix," Kitty said simply. "Hell, I don't even think I _can_ be fixed. What's done is done, Bobby. I'm telling you, we're both better off just dropping it. Now please, just leave me alone."

Kitty walked off finally, and it wasn't until she reached her dorm room and closed the door behind her that she slid down the door and curled into a ball that she started crying. She never let anyone see her cry, even in the flashes of the other future that she got and had to witness everyone around her being killed, she never let anyone see her cry, no matter how many times Bobby had been killed right in front of her eyes.

"She's not talking."

Bobby walked into the office of Charles Xavier, where Xavier sat behind his desk and Logan, Scott, Ororo, Jean, and Marie all stood scattered around the room. Xavier sighed as he looked Bobby up and down. He had noticed himself that things seemed off with Kitty, and been asking those around him if they had noticed anything strange themselves. Each of them had, and they had thought that, if anything, Bobby would be the one to be able to get her to talk.

"She's crying," Jean said in an offhand way, able to sense the emotional pain from the young woman several floors away from them. "She's in so much pain, but she knows that there are people here who can read her thoughts so she doesn't let herself concentrate on the reason why she's upset." She turned to Xavier, "Couldn't you…?"

"Oh, I could," Xavier said with a nod, "Quite easily, as I'm sure you're aware. But as she doesn't seem to be hurting anyone other than herself, I don't like to pry without her consent. I think that might do more harm than good in this case."

"I don't get it," Ororo said with a shake of her head, "Kitty's never been one to act like this. She's one of the best we've got and now she's suddenly like a different person. There has to be something we can do to get her out of this mood she's in. Whatever is bothering her, she needs to know that she's not alone. She's always been there whenever we've needed her as a team, and we all need to make sure she knows that we're all there for her too."

"She knows she's not alone, Storm," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "The problem is that she _wants_ to be alone right now." He turned his gaze on Logan, "Though, something she mentioned might have given me a clue as to what's really bothering her."

"I didn't go near her, if that's what you're thinking," Logan said, holding his hands up in an innocent gesture. "She's definitely way too young for me."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "_Focus_, Logan," He sighed. "Kitty was the one who sent you back to the past in the future that you helped prevent, right? When she finally did talk to me for that moment, she snapped at me about there being only one person who was supposed to remember, but instead she was having flashes of things that don't exist anymore."

"Yeah, and?"

"What if she's remembering what the other future was like?" Bobby asked. "According to you that future was enough to cause anyone nightmares."

Logan shrugged, "That timeline is irrelevant now, though," He said with a shake of his head. "She should know that just like the rest of us. Even if she _is_ seeing visions of that time somehow, it shouldn't be enough to upset her like this."

"But maybe some other occurrences from that timeline _are_ enough to hurt her like this," Xavier spoke up at last. He looked at Logan before turning his gaze on Bobby and Rogue and Logan groaned softly.

"You think she remembers that too, huh?" Logan asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I think it's a good assumption that she does," Xavier nodded.

"What are you two talking about?" Marie asked at last.

"I think that, among other things, Kitty may be suffering from a severely broken heart."

* * *

AN: I swear, this isn't going to be your typical 'poor broken-heart girl' story. Should have the next chapter up within a week, depending on my muse and my work schedule :)


	2. Chapter 2

AN: First off, I just want to say how blown away and honored I am by all the reviews/follows/faves that I've been getting for this story. Each and every one of them mean a lot to me, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

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_Kitty woke with a jolt and a shiver, and the warm body beside her woke with a jolt as well, as though her waking had woken him up as well. She groaned softly and rubbed her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. Beside her, Bobby watched her through his crystal blue eyes, a look of concern appearing on his sleepy face, "Are you alright?" He reached out and swept some stray strands of hair out of her eyes._

"_Nightmare," Kitty said simply before another shiver shook her small frame. She stretched a bit, her shoulders popping faintly before she turned to face Bobby. They slept together that night, as they always did, in two worn sleeping bags zipped together._

"_And you're cold," Bobby pointed out, pulling his hand back and shifting a bit as though he was trying to give Kitty some space; like her being cold was his fault._

"_Bobby, stop," Kitty said, taking his hand in both of hers and rolling her eyes. She hated when he pulled away from her just because she was a little cold. Things were rough enough without Bobby pulling away from her. He was the one thing that kept her sane most of the time, the one who constantly sacrificed himself…. The usual wave of guilt washed over her and she sighed, snuggling closer to him, despite the fact that he had pulled away a few moments earlier. She reached for his hand, for the black leather band he wore, and she ran her index finger over it, counting the notches in it, one for each time that they'd escaped from the sentinels with the help of her ability to send one of them through time to stop them all from being killed._

"_Twelve," Kitty said in a soft voice at last as she released his hand. She knew he was keeping a close eye on her. He was the only one who knew of the crushing guilt that she felt when it came to how the others sacrificed themselves just to keep her safe enough to send them back. "It's only been twelve times so far. And each time I keep hoping it will be the last time."_

"_Lucky thirteen next time, then?" Bobby quipped. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close at last. He only wished he could take away all the pain that she felt. He knew that she hated watching them all die over and over again, and it wasn't getting any easier on her._

"_Yeah, whatever," Kitty scoffed, shifting a bit to look up at the sky. Bishop was lurking somewhere nearby keeping a watchful eye on the same sky to make sure that there was no sight of the sentinels. The night was the most dangerous time, but trying to stop for rest during the day was useless as none of them could ever sleep in the bright sunlight, so they took turns watching, but Bobby was always allowed to rest when Kitty was. They were both stronger when they had each other to lean on and everyone knew it. "You and I both know that this is probably never going to end." She hated saying it, but they couldn't defeat the sentinels; the twelve notches in Bobby's band was evidence of that._

"_Well, at least it won't end with us being alone," Bobby said with a soft sigh. He pulled Kitty a little closer and kissed her forehead, "I know I don't say it enough, Kitty, but I—"_

"_They're coming!"_

"_SHIT!" Kitty was instantly on her feet, the sleeping bag tearing, not for the first time. Bishop was too far away, and everyone else was already heading in his direction. "Bobby, come on. We've got no choice. I've got to send you back."_

_Bobby was already on his feet, but before Kitty could bark another command at her, he kissed her deeply, "I'll save the rest of that statement for when we're not running for our lives then," He said, allowing his forehead to rest on hers for a moment longer before they tore off through the woods, desperate to find a place where Kitty could sit with Bobby long enough to send him back in time and save all of their asses._

* * *

Kitty woke with a pained gasp, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She was drenched in sweat, and she wasn't sure that she hadn't screamed in her sleep. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was only just after five in the morning. She cursed lowly and rubbed her forehead. Her head was pounding along with her heart. She slowly got up from her bed and went to the bathroom that was attached to her room. She doused a washcloth in cold water before returning to her bed and placing the washcloth over her eyes and burning forehead.

That memory had been particularly and horribly vivid. She could feel the closeness she'd shared with Bobby, the care and feelings that they'd had for each other, but at the moment, it made her sick. Her stomach threatened to heave whatever was in it, and she forced herself to take slow deep breaths and calm down.

_You're falling apart_, She thought through the haze of misery that threatened to crush her. She hated herself for feeling the way she did. _And everyone is starting to notice it too. You need to fucking get a hold of yourself before it's too late._

Kitty rested for a few more minutes before getting out of bed. She stretched and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top before leaving her room. She stopped by the deserted kitchen to grab a water bottle from the fridge before heading down to the gym. Music blared through her earbuds as she set the treadmill for a long, hard run.

In his room, Bobby was awake, more than a little certain that he had heard a familiar scream in the distance a few minutes earlier. Beside him, Marie was curled up in a ball, still fast asleep. His mind was still buzzing from what Xavier had told them earlier. He had finally managed to fall asleep with Marie, but that scream had jolted him awake and once again his mind was going in every direction. He guessed it only made sense that if Marie wasn't around that he and Kitty would gravitate towards her. And Marie had never really forgiven him for the time that he had kissed Kitty while ice skating. And he knew that memory was just boiling somewhere deep inside of her now that she knew what happened in the other timeline.

Bobby knew he shouldn't think about it, especially when he was so happy with Marie, who was finally getting her own abilities under control, but he couldn't help thinking about what could have been, or rather, what had been. All he knew now was that Kitty was pushing him away with everything inside of her, and she was doing it for him, so he could be happy, but what was it truly costing her?

With a low sigh, he got out of bed and padded barefoot down to the kitchen to get something to drink. The building was pretty much silent as not many people actually woke up before six or so. Bobby very much just wanted things to work themselves out, but he knew the odds of that happening were slim to none. He was considering going back to bed when he heard soft footsteps in the hallway. He tilted his head, wondering who else was actually up and about at that hour, and he saw Kitty walk right by the kitchen, her earphones in her ears, her hair tied up, and her body glistening with sweat. Bobby could tell instantly that she had been running. That's what she often did to clear her mind. He was about to open his mouth to say something to her, when Logan suddenly appeared in the doorway, blocking Kitty's path and glaring at him over her shoulder.

"Logan," Kitty said, pulling her earphones out and stepping back. She glanced at the clock on her phone, "What are you doing up so early?"

"It seems, as usual, that no one is sleeping around here," Logan responded with a pointed look. Kitty followed his gaze and her eyes landed on Bobby.

"Oh."

"Why don't you and I take a walk, kid?" Logan asked Kitty. Kitty bristled at being called a kid. It was bad enough that Logan wanted to talk to her, but he had to insult her at the same time? She was anything but a kid. Sure, she was the youngest of the X-Men, but she was far from being a kid.

"Do I really have to take a walk with you right now, Logan?" Kitty asked at last with a roll of her eyes, realizing that it so wasn't worth it to get insulted by _anything_ that came out of his mouth. "It's not even six in the morning."

"You got somewhere better to be?"

"Yeah, back in my bed after taking a shower to cool down," Kitty snapped.

"Fine, then we can talk right here," Logan said simply, knowing he was very close to setting the young woman in front of him off. "He knows, you know," Logan nodded over at Bobby and Bobby felt his cheeks burn. "He knows about the future timeline you're not telling him that you remember."

"Logan, that's enough," Bobby said, getting to his feet. He could see Kitty's muscles tensing, her posture shifting slightly. She'd been holding herself back for days, if not weeks, and Logan was pushing her too far. The last thing any of them needed was for Kitty to launch herself at Logan and start punching him, because that wouldn't end well for anyone.

"How much of that timeline do you actually remember?" Logan asked with a slight tilt of his head, his arms crossed over his chest as he ignored Bobby. "Do you remember the chaos and the running and watching your friends die countless times just to give you enough time to send one of them back so that they'd all be safe enough to repeat the same cycle over and over again?"

"_Logan_," Bobby snapped, but it was too late.

"Yes, I can remember bits and pieces of that," Kitty said, her tone dangerous. Bobby watched her carefully, not completely certain that Kitty wasn't about to punch Logan or worse. "I haven't seen everything from that alternate timeline, so I don't exactly remember all the destruction and pain, at least not yet. But you know what else I remember? I remember being in love, you son of a bitch. I remember having someone else actually love me for _me_. I didn't have to be in love with someone else's girlfriend or wife. And you know what? We might not have had a lot, but we had love."

"Now you're just sounding like a lovesick teenager," Logan commented. "Look around you; I saved all of you years of pain and destruction that now none of you will ever have to live through. You should be thanking me, but instead you're moping around here like a child who didn't get their way."

_Uh-oh,_ Bobby thought as he saw Kitty's fist clench and unclench. He knew he should say something, do something before one of them took things too far, but he also knew that both of them needed to get what they were feeling out, and it was good to see Kitty actually showing some emotion for a change.

"Screw you, Logan," Kitty spat. "You could never even begin to understand what the hell I'm going through. All you give a damn about is what's best for yourself. Alternate timeline or not, that has never changed and sure as hell never will. You're always going to be a self-centered dick."

Two things happened simultaneously then. Kitty swung back to launch at Logan and Logan's blades slid from his knuckles, and as Kitty punched Logan's jaw, the tips of his blades stabbed her stomach. Bobby watched in horror, too stunned to move for a moment before Kitty fell to her knees holding her stomach, blood staining her shirt and appearing on her fingers, a pained cry escaping her lips.

"Kitty!"

Kitty looked up at Bobby through fear-filled eyes, her dark orbs pleading with him, _Help me._


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Once again, I continue to be blown away by how awesome all of you are. Thank you for all the reviews/follows/faves. They truly mean the world to me.

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Marie crept through the bowels of the school. The halls were pure white and mostly silent. If you didn't know where you were going, it was nothing more than a giant labyrinth. She finally found the people she was looking for, both Bobby and Logan stood outside a set of double doors, and Bobby's normally crystal blue eyes were dark and furious.

"How could you attack her, Logan?" Bobby demanded. "She's a five-foot-one, hundred pound woman. What's the worst she _possibly_ could have done to you?"

"She hit _me_!" Logan snapped back. "She's the one who swung out and punched me. It was a goddamn knee-jerk reaction for me to defend myself. And it's not like I stabbed her that hard—"

"Would you two _shut up_?!" Jean demanded as she poked her head out through the double doors before sliding right back in and closing the doors behind her.

"What the _hell_ is going on down here?" Marie asked as she walked up beside Bobby. She rubbed his arm, but she could feel just how tense he was in his anger. "I heard something about Kitty getting hurt…."

"Logan decided to run his mouth, as usual," Bobby said with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes, wishing partially that he would have just stayed in bed that morning. He just seemed to be walking into trouble those days. Staying in bed would have been a much better option. "And Kitty punched him and he stabbed her in return."

"Logan!"

"It was a mistake!" Logan roared.

"That's quite enough," A calm voice said from behind Logan. All three turned to face Xavier, who was giving both Logan and Bobby a rather grim look, "Why don't you three come with me?"

Xavier led the way into the room where Jean had been taking care of Kitty. She lay on an exam table, her breathing steady, her shirt lifted to reveal a bandage that had been wrapped around her abdomen where Logan's three claws had stabbed her. Bobby felt slightly guilty at the sight of her. He should have intervened and stopped Kitty from punching Logan to begin with, but he had been fascinated by what she had been telling Logan. He was more curious than ever as to what Kitty was remembering.

"She's going to recover just fine," Jean said to Xavier as he wheeled next to Kitty's head. "She got very lucky that Logan's blades didn't impale her completely," She gave Logan a pointed look and he rolled his eyes in return. "As it is, he didn't nick any organs."

Bobby sighed in relief. Kitty might not want to be around him, but at least she was going to be alive long enough to keep pushing him away. There had been so much blood, he hadn't been sure that Logan hadn't seriously hurt her.

"Bobby, would you come help me with something?" Xavier asked. He had settled by Kitty's head, a pensive look on his face. Bobby arched a brow, but nodded and walked over to stand by him.

"Wait, you're not going to…."

"I think it's time you know what she knows," Xavier said with a nod. He placed one hand on the side of Kitty's head, "She might fight it, but I think you have a right to know why she's keeping you at such a distance."

Bobby inhaled slowly and nodded once. He put his hand on the other side of Kitty's head and Xavier closed his eyes. Kitty's reaction was instant. Her body jerked and her hands clenched as her eyes blazed, her back arching up from the table, "No, please," She pleaded, her dark eyes meeting Bobby's, "Bobby, please…. Stop…"

"She's fighting me," Xavier said. He glanced up at Bobby, "Talk to her, calm her down."

Bobby inhaled slowly and looked deep into Kitty's eyes. The way she looked at that moment reminded Bobby of the much younger, more carefree Kitty that he used to know. It was strange to him sometimes just how much Kitty had changed during the years. All he wanted to know was the truth about what had happened back in the other future they'd endured and why she was so determined to keep him away from her, "Kitty, it's okay. We're not trying to hurt you." He moved his fingers through her hair, not missing the way she trembled when he touched her. "You know you can trust me."

Kitty's breathing slowed and her eyes closed again and Bobby's mind suddenly exploded with images. He saw himself and Kitty, the world around them was a mess, but the things he saw and felt when he was with her… he had been in love with her. He would have done anything to protect her and keep her close. They had people around them, but all he wanted was to keep her close. Suddenly, though, he was burning. He saw himself, most likely through Kitty's eyes, being burned alive, over and over.

He let go of Xavier's hand and took a step back, breathing hard. There had been such a jumble of images in his mind, and the _pain_… he shook his head. There had been something else, though. Something that he felt clearly despite all the chaos; there had been love. True, raw love that was unlike anything Bobby could remember feeling, and almost instantly, he felt sick. He felt like he was trapped and he needed to get out.

"Bobby."

Marie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked over to her, "I need to get some air," He said with a shake of his head. Marie's hurt expression registered to him as he walked past her, but there was so much going on at that moment in his mind that he felt that if he stayed in that room for any longer, he might say something he'd regret later.

"Don't judge him too harshly, Marie," Xavier said, wheeling up beside her and looking up at her. "He's just seen things that he thought weren't possible and he's confused. Give him some time."

* * *

Kitty had no idea how long she'd been out when she next opened her eyes. Her head was once again pounding and she remembered seeing an entire jumble of all the visions that she'd seen before in a very short amount of time. With a low groan, she forced herself to sit up, her hand instantly going to her abdomen.

"Kitty."

Kitty jumped, thinking that she had been alone, and phased right through the exam table. It took her a moment to remember that she knew the voice that had spoken to her. She reappeared to face Marie, who had been sitting by the door.

"Oh, no," Kitty groaned, moving her fingers through her hair. "I'm in trouble, aren't I? Bobby saw everything that I saw in that big jumble, which means that you know, which is exactly what I was trying to prevent…."

"Kitty, stop," Marie said with a low sigh and a shake of her head. Bobby still hadn't returned and Marie herself was having a hard time trying to figure things out on her own. "You're causing yourself so much pain, Kitty. Why?"

"Because why make everybody miserable right there with me?" Kitty asked, rubbing her forehead. She was still a little disoriented, but she was trying her damnedest to stay coherent with what she was saying. She tilted her head and looked Marie up and down, "Marie, you and Bobby, you're happy together. Me? I can deal with being miserable. It's not like I have to stay here in the mansion. Seeing the way Bobby is with you makes me happy to know that he's happy. In _this_ timeline, maybe you really are the one that's meant to be with him."

"And what about you?" Marie asked, watching as Kitty got to her feet and pulled her shirt down to cover the bandaged on her abdomen. She definitely seemed weak, and Rogue could tell that she wasn't keeping herself solid; it would probably take energy that Kitty didn't have. "You don't want to be happy?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Kitty asked with a shrug. "But I'm not going to get happy from seeing two of my friends angry at one another because of me. I'm not a home wrecker, or I guess in this case, a relationship wrecker."

"You expect Bobby to just forget about everything he saw?" Marie asked, blocking Kitty's exit through the metal doors.

"I expect you two to do whatever makes the two of you happy and not worry about poor Kitty who keeps pushing everyone away," Kitty said, crossing her arms and standing her ground. "I'm a big girl, Rogue, not the child you knew so many years ago when you first got jealous over Bobby and me ice skating on the fountain. Yes, we kissed, but I told him the moment that it happened that I was sorry. I didn't mean to cause a wedge between you then, and I sure as hell didn't mean to cause one now. You and Bobby need to work out what you think is best for the two of you, and just leave me out of it."

With that, Kitty walked through Marie and the doors into the hallway, "Kitty, you can't just keep running from this," Marie said as she appeared through the doors a moment later.

"Watch me."

"You are so goddamn stubborn, Kitty!"

"God, why can't you just drop it, Rogue?" Kitty demanded, turning to face Marie once again. She would have lashed out and struck the bi-color haired woman, but she'd learned her lesson about punching people from Logan.

"I can't because you're in love with my boyfriend!"

Silence hung in the air between the two young women as they both glared at each other. The tension was nearly palpable and each girl was daring the other to blink first. Suddenly, they were both laughing. It was the first time Kitty had laughed in weeks, and the feeling was almost foreign. She looked up at Marie, sweeping her long hair out of her face and wincing slightly as the wound in her side reminded her that she wasn't entirely invincible after all, "Fuck, that hurt," She groaned with a shake of her head.

"You should be resting," Marie said, walking closer to Kitty and putting her hand on her shoulder, surprised to see that she was actually not phased at the moment. "You _were_ just stabbed by Logan before."

"Not too deeply," Kitty reminded her, relaxing a bit under Marie's touch. It was the first time she'd let anyone near her in a while. And she and Marie might not have been on the best of terms, but her touch felt like something of a relief. "And I'll survive, one way or another."

"Oh, Kitty," Marie sighed. She could hear the pain in Kitty's voice, see the way her body just seemed to relax from being touched…. When your natural state was to be phased, and it actually took effort to stay solid, Marie could just imagine what it was like to not be touched, after all, for the longest time, she couldn't touch someone without hurting them. Being able to touch Kitty was somewhat significant for both of them.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both girls jumped slightly as Professor Xavier wheeled up behind them. Their faces blushing identically, both girls shook their heads, "Good," He said with a nod. "Kitty, may I steal you for a few minutes, now that you're clearly up and walking?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Kitty said, pushing her hair behind her ears and giving a nod to Marie. She started to walk up the hallways next to Xavier.

"How are you feeling, Kitty?" Xavier asked, looking up at the young woman as they walked. He noticed that she was walking a little strangely, trying to keep pressure off her side. He was trying to stay out of her mind, though, and let her speak what she was thinking. "I must say, Logan is feeling rather bad. It's not often you see a wolf with his tail between his legs."

"I didn't mean to punch him," Kitty said with a roll of her eyes. She inhaled slowly, "I was just so wrapped up in the moment and I had so much I was just keeping in and refusing to deal with. But now Bobby knows, Marie probably hates me, but she's showing me sympathy in her own way, and I wouldn't blame Bobby for hating me too."

"Kitty, I think you need to get away for a little while," Xavier said, stopping on his way up the hallway and turning to face Kitty fully. "You need some time to heal and to clear your mind in general. You know we have safe houses around the world, and I think some fresh air away from the school might do you some good."

"But I have classes to teach."

"That's the best response you can come up with?" Xavier asked, arching a brow at Kitty. "I'll have Jean substitute your classes for you while you're gone. But Kitty, I think this is something you really need to do for your own sanity."

Kitty was silent for a few moments before finally nodding, "Alright," She said, holding up her hands, "I give in. I'll go away for a bit and try to clear my head. I know, deep down, that it's something I need to do."

Xavier smiled, "Excellent. Be by the Blackbird in two hours and I'll see to it that you finally have somewhere quiet to relax for a while and finally get to clear your head."

"Thank you, Professor," Kitty said with a small smile before she walked off to pack up some of her things. By the time she got down to the Blackbird two hours later, she was in something of a decent mood. She got on and relaxed in one of the seats before she realized who was seated by the controls.

"Bobby."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: As always, thank you for the reviews/faves/follows. The next two chapters (yes, I'm pretty much done with the one that follows this one), involve a lot of dialogue, but not without reason. I hope that they're enjoyed, regardless.

* * *

Kitty was sitting silent on the Blackbird, her fingers laced, her eyes staring out into space. She and Bobby had barely exchanged three words to each other; not that Bobby hadn't tried, but Kitty just wasn't sure what to say, or where to start. It was about an hour into their flight when Bobby put the Blackbird on autopilot and walked over to Kitty, holding a water bottle.

"Peace offering?"

Kitty tilted her head and looked up at Bobby. His deep blue eyes, _god, why are they so fucking blue_, were playful, as they normally were when Bobby had his guard down. She looked at the water bottle he offered her, noticing that there was a bit of frost forming on it. She arched a brow at him questioningly.

"Sorry," Bobby said, taking the seat opposite her as she reached out for the water bottle. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"About what?" Kitty asked, realizing as she spoke that it was the first real, civil conversation that she and Bobby had gotten into in a few weeks.

"You have to ask?"

"Me?" Kitty blinked, rolling the water bottle back and forth between her hands. She smirked, "I'm a five-foot-one, hundred pound woman, what have you got to fear from me?"

Bobby blinked, those words echoing in his head slightly, "You heard Logan arguing with me," He said at last. He shook his head, "And here I thought you were unconscious at the time."

"I don't really know how I heard it," Kitty shrugged, continuing to play with the ice cold bottle. Keeping her hands busy seemed to keep her a little more calm than she actually felt. She couldn't believe that being around Bobby was actually making her nervous. She had clear memories, ones much clearer than the ones from the alternate timeline, of them actually being close. They had been best friends, able to talk to each other about anything, and now she had spent weeks pushing him away, fighting to keep him at a distance.

"Kitty," Bobby said with a low sigh. He reached out and took the water bottle back from her, before putting it to the side and taking her hand in his. Kitty's eyes widened slightly. His touch was incredibly familiar to her, and in some strange way, it helped calm the chaos in her mind. "It looks like we're both making each other nervous, and I don't _really_ think this was why Xavier sent us away together."

"Of _course_ this was his idea," Kitty scoffed, moving her fingers through her hair. Xavier always knew what he was doing, but at the same time, she had to question the professor's sanity. Bobby was, as far as she knew, still with Marie. Why the hell was he trying to cause even more problems for all of them? She saw Bobby sigh as he started to roll the bottle of water in between his hands, "I'm sorry, Bobby," She said at last. She licked her lips and cleared her throat as she continued, "I haven't been fair to you at all. We're supposed to be best friends, hell, we've been through everything together, and recently, I've been a really shitty friend to you. You have been trying so freaking hard to get me to talk to you and I've been nothing but a bitch in return, and for that I am truly sorry. I don't even know how you can begin to forgive me."

Bobby was silent for a few moments, and Kitty was starting to get antsy sitting in her seat, "I was never angry at you, Kitty," He said finally. "You hurt me like hell by pushing me away the way that you did, but I was never angry at you." He stood up and walked back over to her. He reached out and touched her cheek, "And seeing what you've been doing to yourself recently… That was just as painful. I don't get why you didn't just _talk_ to me."

"Why does everyone insist on having this conversation with me today?" Kitty growled, glaring up at Bobby. She stood up and faced Bobby, though he was considerably taller than her. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground.

To her surprise, a smirk appeared on Bobby's face, "Are you getting ready to fight me or something?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. "I've sparred with you many, many times, Kitty, and aside from your fists being raised, you look like you're getting ready for a fight. I'm not here to fight with you, if that hasn't been made clear. I'm here to work things out with you. See, Xavier actually told me what he was planning for both of us, and we don't actually have a set date for when we have to be back at the school, so we've got all the time in the world to make things right between you and I. How much you continue to fight me emotionally is all up to you, Kitty."

"I don't want to be fighting you, Bobby," Kitty admitted, inhaling deeply and allowing her body to relax a bit. "That's honestly the last thing I want to be doing. I want to be back to the way things were between you and me, but I don't even know if that's possible anymore, knowing what I know about the timeline that Logan changed. Hell, you're in a happy relationship with Marie, and now I'm just causing one big rift between the two of you, yet again, because my abilities love to kick me in the ass every now and then. If there was _anything_ I could do to stop these visions, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Maybe it's not about stopping the visions, but accepting them."

Kitty blinked, "So, I'm just supposed to accept that we survived a horribly dark and morbid time, a time during which we were in love, and move on?" She shook her head, "I think you and I both know that's not possible."

"Well, it's not doing either of us any good to stand here and be at odds with each other," Bobby reasoned. He licked his lips and glanced at the controls of the Blackbird, "And I know you and I have some things we really need to work out, but we don't need to do it all today, or right now. We've got all the time in the world."

* * *

"_Kitty? Kitty, wake up!"_

_Kitty jumped, why the hell did he always insist on waking her up like that? He knew that when somebody spoke to her like that while she was asleep, she always assumed the worst. And, judging by the lack of screams and chaos, they weren't currently under attack._

"_You better have a damn good reason for waking me up, Bobby Drake," Kitty growled, rolling over, her body pressing against his as she snuggled closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her bare arm gently, his skin cooling hers as it always did._

"_Come on, Kitty, open your eyes," Bobby said in a soft tone, nuzzling her cheek. "I want you to see something."_

"_Ugh, we don't get enough sleep as it is, Scruffy, now you insist on waking me up because you want me to _see_ something?" Kitty groaned and pushed his cheek away from her own. She yawned and opened her eyes, only to feel her breath catch in her chest as she found herself staring into the crystal blue orbs of Bobby's eyes. He smirked at her and kissed her forehead before he turned to lay flat on his back. "What did you want me to see?" Kitty asked, failing to stifle a yawn._

"_Look up."_

_Kitty rolled onto her back as well and looked up to see the sky alive with the streaks of a meteor shower. She tilted her head as she watched the lights, temporarily silenced by the beauty and amazement of it, "Wow," She said in a soft tone._

"_See? I told you I had something to show you."_

_Kitty propped herself up on her elbow and put her hand on Bobby's abdomen as she watched the clear amusement on his face, "Did you know that there was going to be a meteor shower tonight?"_

_Bobby shook his head, "How would I know? I have trouble keeping track of what day it is most of the time. I just couldn't sleep. I was laying here counting the stars and I saw it start. I figured you'd want to see it too."_

"_After everything we've been through, you're still such a goddamn romantic."_

"_And you're still just as grumpy when someone wakes you up," Bobby shot back, though his smirk was still in place._

"_I'll show you grumpy, Scruffy," Kitty growled, reaching out suddenly and tickling Bobby's sides. The older man howled with laughter as Kitty shifted to straddle his abdomen and continued her tickle assault. The nights seemed to be the only truly carefree time for them both, and despite the fact that Kitty very much wanted to be asleep, she was more than happy to take a few minutes to tickle torture Bobby. Bobby finally grabbed her by the wrists and suddenly she was on her back once again, looking up at the stars and meteors. And then there was Bobby, his smirk replaced by a genuine smile._

"_You really are something, Kitty," He said in a soft voice before his lips finally met hers in a soft kiss. Kitty sighed contently against Bobby's lips as she kissed him back, her arms going around his neck to hold him closer against her. Kitty could feel every inch of his body pressed against her, a mixture of fire and ice that seared through her body, calming her, relaxing her, making her feel safe._

* * *

Kitty woke up with a jolt, her head pounding and, for the first time, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. It was rare that she saw something so peaceful in her visions. Most of her visions ended with her having to send someone back to the past, but this one…. She inhaled shakily and realized that the Blackbird was no longer moving. They had landed, and Bobby was nowhere to be seen. She rubbed at her eyes and got to her feet, leaving the Blackbird to see where she was.

As she got off the Blackbird, she was greeted by something she hadn't been expecting; snow. She wrinkled her nose, very much wishing she had her snow boots and a warm jacket at the moment, but Xavier hadn't mentioned snow. She had been thinking quite the opposite, actually. She looked around, taking in the surrounding area. The Blackbird had landed in front of a large cabin. Behind the cabin, and around it, she could see almost nothing but woods. It was apparently a secluded area.

"Oh, you're awake."

Kitty turned to face Bobby, for once, unsurprised by his sudden appearance, "Where are we?"

"Were you crying?" Bobby stepped closer to her and reached out, hesitating for a moment before he touched her cheek. When she didn't pull away from him, he slid his thumb under her eye, wiping away a stray tear. "You had another vision, didn't you?"

Kitty nodded once, deciding instantly that lying to Bobby wasn't exactly the way to go. She inhaled shakily, though for a moment, she leaned against his hand, "Can we go inside? I swear, I will tell you what I saw, but I just need to sit down. These visions are accompanied by massive headaches."

Bobby nodded, "Come on," He said, his eyes mirroring his concern. Kitty tilted her head as Bobby took her hand and led her into the cabin. The inside was massive, almost cavernous with its high ceilings. It was blessedly warm too, "The living room is through there," Bobby said, indicating a hallway. "I'll get you something to drink and then we can talk."

Kitty nodded and went in the direction that Bobby had showed her. She found herself in a spacious living room, a large window showing off the backyard. There was a wide, open area between the house and the woods, and Kitty could see that there was a covered pool on the deck, along with a hot tub. Whoever had designed this place, clearly designed it to be a relaxing getaway.

She heard Bobby walking up behind her and she flopped down on the plush couch as he approached her with two steaming mugs, "The kitchen is fully stocked, and it seems like there's everything that we need here."

"Where is 'here'?" Kitty asked, reaching out and taking the mug from Bobby as he offered it to her. She arched a brow at him, remembering that he hadn't answered her earlier when she'd asked him.

"Colorado," Bobby said as he sat down on the couch beside her. Kitty glanced at her mug and realized that he had made her hot chocolate. She gave him a small smile before taking a sip. Of course, it was made perfect, just the way she liked it, "More specifically, the mountains of Colorado. There's no houses around for miles, but there is a straight road out of here, and an SUV with a full tank of gas in the garage, along with several snowmobiles, and of course, the Blackbird in front. And yet, the security on the inside is second to none; they didn't take any chances with this place. It's meant to get away, but also be safe at the same time."

Kitty nodded as she took another sip from her cup before putting it down on the coffee table. She shifted so she could face Bobby as she spoke, "So, I guess I fell asleep at some point on the flight over here. The thing with these visions is that they often seem so real to me that I almost can't tell that I'm not in that moment in reality, if that makes sense. Like, it feels so real to me, like I'm actually there. It's stronger than a normal dream. This one wasn't half bad, actually," She said, though her cheeks started to burn slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, normally, my visions end with me having to send someone back in time to save our asses," Kitty said. She inhaled slowly, "But this one, maybe because I just wasn't asleep so long, it was different." Kitty told Bobby the vision, stopping and starting several times as her cheeks continued to burn. The whole time, Bobby listened, never interrupting her, but he could see it was getting difficult for her to speak and he reached out and held onto one of her hands. When finally she finished, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"It sounds like we were really happy," Bobby said at last. "If that timeline was really everything that Logan and Xavier said it was, and from what I was able to see myself when Xavier read your mind, it seems like we were really all that we had."

"Seems that way," Kitty nodded, looking down at their hands, linked together on the couch, "Look, don't get angry at me or anything, Bobby, but I still don't get what we're doing here. I get that I had to clear my mind, but I don't understand why you were sent with me. You're with—"

"No, I'm not, Kitty," Bobby cut her off. He inhaled slowly and deeply and moved his free fingers through his hair, "Not right now, anyway. Marie and I decided to take a break while you and I figure all of this out. I love Marie, I've been with her for years, but all this doubt that's swirling around now isn't good, and it's not right for me to lead her on and be here with you at the same time."

"Always the kindhearted gentleman," Kitty said in a soft tone. She relaxed a bit more, her fingers starting to play with Bobby's as they sat in silence on the couch. She hadn't been expecting Bobby to say that he and Marie weren't together, but it lifted just a tiny bit of weight off of her own shoulders in some strange way. "Who knows? Maybe this time away will be good for both of us."

"I'm hoping it will be."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Long chapter is long. However, this is easily my favorite chapter that I've written so far, you'll see why. ;)

* * *

Kitty woke early the next morning. The house around her was silent, almost too silent. She and Bobby had slept in separate rooms, the house had eight of them to choose from, but she was pretty sure he was still asleep. She got out of bed after lying, looking at the ceiling for a few minutes. She wasn't really sure what to do with the day. She and Bobby were in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and she genuinely hoped that they weren't going to spend all their time cooped up inside the house.

When she walked down to the kitchen, Bobby was already there, dressed in flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, mixing something that smelled amazing in the pan in front of him, "Seems Logan will always be right about one thing," Bobby said without looking at her.

"What's that?"

"Neither one of us is much of a sleeper."

Kitty laughed as she took a seat on a stool by the granite-topped island in the middle of the kitchen, "I'm not used to the quiet. And there's just too much on my mind, you know?"

"I know," Bobby said with a nod. He turned off the flame and transferred the food onto two plates. "But I'm not expecting you to clear your head in a day. But, after we eat, if you don't mind, Jean said that the bandage on your side should be changed. You should be mostly healed, but it's still only been twenty-four hours since you had a run in with Logan's claws."

"Yeah, please remind me to never do that again," Kitty sighed with a shake of her head. She glanced down at her side, "The sad thing is, that even if I had made sure I was in my phased state, one, my punch wouldn't have done a damn thing, and two, Logan would have still been able to stab me because the adamantium in his claws is one of my very few weaknesses. So all in all, it was truly a very bad choice."

Bobby sat opposite from her after grabbing some orange juice from the fridge, "I'll definitely keep that in mind," He nodded before he dug into his food. Kitty looked at the plate that Bobby had made for her. It was simple, just eggs and bacon, but it was just what Kitty needed.

"You seem to just be on top of everything," Kitty commented as she started to eat. She looked up and met Bobby's eyes as she cleared her throat, her cheeks blushing as Bobby smirked at her, "Um, I mean, you're just taking such good care of me, and I have yet to figure out why."

"Because I care about you, maybe?" Bobby suggested with a shrug. "You know, because despite all we've been through and all the pushing me away, I actually still care. You know, some people were telling me to give up on you; to leave you be and to just move on from our friendship, but you know that's not who I am or how I do things, Kitty."

"You never give up on your friends," Kitty said, twirling her fork between her fingers. "That's something I've known about you since the beginning, Bobby. It's one of the things that first drew me to you."

She dug into her food and ate in silence for a few minutes, not fully awake yet. She then realized what she was missing. She slid off her stool and looked around, her eyes landing on what she was looking for, the coffee pot, "You forgot something very vital, Bobby," She said with a shake of her head. She got the coffee started and walked to stand by Bobby as he gave her a small smile.

"What was I thinking?" Bobby asked with a shake of her head. "So, what do you want to do today? We've got a huge, empty house, a couple of snowmobiles, a huge game room downstairs…. We can really do anything we want to."

"Is there a lake nearby by any chance?" Kitty asked after thinking for a few moments while staring at the coffee maker, willing it to go faster.

"Yeah, there's one a short way into the woods in the back," Bobby said with a nod. "It's probably frozen over, though. It was freezing last night. I got up at some point to turn the heat up a bit. Anyway, why do you ask about the lake?"

Kitty smiled at a particular memory, one that she knew both of them would remember clearly, "How do you feel about ice skating?"

* * *

A few hours later, Kitty and Bobby trekked through the woods in hoodies and gloves, Bobby leading the way along a winding path, "How do you know your way around here so well?" Kitty asked at last as she jogged a bit to keep up with him. Bobby glanced at her before offering her his hand. She took his hand without hesitating this time and kept up with him more easily.

"I'm just full of surprises," Bobby commented with a shrug. He linked his gloved fingers with Kitty's and helped her over a fallen tree, "Really, though, I came here once a while back for a few days. I got into a fight with Marie, a real bad one, and Xavier lent me the cabin for a few days just to get away. It was summer then, though, so it was nowhere near as beautiful as it currently is."

At last, the woods opened up to a lake, not a large one, almost too small to be called a lake, but too large to be called a pond. However, the fact that it was clearly frozen over made Kitty smile, "You know, I almost never stopped feeling guilty about the first time that you and I went ice skating together," She said as she pulled off her gloves. "But suddenly, I don't feel so bad about that anymore."

"Kitty, that was, what, eight years ago?" Bobby asked with a roll of his eyes. "We were both young, and hell, it was a hard day on all of us. I don't think things could be more different now if we tried." He smirked at her, "Come on, give me your foot."

Kitty sat on an old tree stump and extended one of her legs to Bobby. He moved his hand along the bottom of her shoe, transforming it into an ice skate, "And here I thought that our powers were supposed to grow as we did," She commented with a playful grin. "I was so fascinated that night when you turned your own shoes into ice skates."

"You've seen what I can do," Bobby reminded her. "Well, maybe not in this timeline, but you know exactly how much my powers have grown, along with yours." He finished up her ice skates and created his own and within minutes, they were both speeding along the lake. It felt good to Kitty to be flying around on the ice skates that Bobby created for her, almost freeing in a way. She sped up and did a few laps around the lake, until her muscles begged for her to rest for a moment.

It was then that Bobby caught up with her, clearly very amused at the happiness on Kitty's face, "I haven't seen you smile like this in a long time," He said as he reached out and caressed her very pink cheek. He noticed that she seemed to welcome the contact, instead of flinching away or keeping herself phased so that he couldn't touch her at all. "If I would have known that this was all it would take to get you so happy, I would have taken you ice skating weeks ago."

"It's not just that," Kitty said with a shake of her head. She was panting, trying to catch her breath. She grinned up at Bobby, "It's just this sense of being free for a change. I was starting to feel so caged in at the school, but out here…. I'm free. I don't have anything I need to worry about right now. It finally hit me. I don't have to be worrying about the visions, or anything going on at the school…."

"If you start singing 'Let It Go,' I just might have to question your sanity, Kitty," Bobby said with a soft laugh. He was truly happy, though, that she was finally showing her more carefree side once again. It seemed like time away was exactly what she needed to start opening up again.

"It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through…."

"Oh, god, why did I open my mouth?"

"No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I'm freeeeee…."

"Kitty…. Don't do it."

"LET IT GO…."

"That's it!" Bobby growled. With another playful growl, he was suddenly chasing after her, and they were both racing around the lake. Bobby finally launched for Kitty, and they hit the ice with a hard thud that took the wind out of both of their lungs, and had Kitty crying out in pain, "Oh, shit, Kitty!" Bobby had momentarily forgotten about Logan stabbing her the day before. He rolled off of her, allowing her to lay flat on her back, "Are you okay?" He asked, turning her face toward him gently.

Kitty inhaled shakily and nodded, wincing as she propped herself up on her elbows, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, Kitty," Bobby said, his blue eyes full of concern. "I totally should not have done that, I just got so caught up in the moment and I forgot about Logan stabbing you…."

"Bobby, stop," Kitty said, reaching up and putting her hand over Bobby's mouth to stop him from talking. His eyes widened slightly and he gave her a questioning look. "I'm okay, really. Now, if I uncover your mouth, will you stop with worry rambling?"

Bobby nodded once and Kitty moved her hand, "I'm sorry," He said and Kitty covered his mouth again instantly.

"Enough of that," Kitty said, sitting up on her knees so that she and Bobby were pretty much on equal footing. She looked him in the eyes, keeping her hand right on his mouth, her other one moving to behind his head, "I'm _fine_, Bobby, I swear. I can handle roughhousing, injury or not. I'm not made of glass. I've been through a lot worse than this. Now, I'm going to let you go, but only if you swear to drop it. Do you agree to drop it?"

Bobby nodded once again and Kitty released his mouth. She gave him a warning look as she lowered her hand, and Bobby kept his word, not starting to apologize once again. She watched as Bobby inhaled slowly. He seemed to be studying her face, looking for something. It was then that she realized that she still had her hand on the back of his head. Her face burned as she pulled her hand back slowly, "Now I'm sorry," She said with a soft laugh. "But I meant what I said. I'm okay. I'll probably be a little sore tomorrow morning, but for now I'm okay."

Bobby nodded once and reached out his own hand, moving his fingers along Kitty's cheek where a few small scratches from the ice had appeared. She sighed contently at his touch. It was familiar to her, she remembered the feeling clearly from the visions she had been getting, and it definitely caused her to relax, if only a little bit.

"You're more accepting to me touching you than you were twenty-four hours ago," Bobby said, his tone soft. He shifted a bit and got to his feet, holding his hand out for Kitty's. She took his hand and stood up, "I guess that's all I can really ask for; that you finally start feeling more relaxed around me, like you used to be."

"Like I said, Bobby," Kitty said, linking her fingers with Bobby's. He looked down at their hands, but made no move to get her to release him. "Well, like I was trying to say, anyway, before you decided to tackle me, out here I feel free. I don't feel any of the weight on my shoulders that I was feeling while I was at the school. Maybe it's because I finally feel like I can be open with you about the visions, or because there's nobody out here _but_ the two of us, but I feel almost normal for the first time in weeks." She moved the fingers of her free hand through her hair before she continued, "And I know that I've still got some crap in my mind that I need to get straight, but it just feels so good, at least for right now, to be out here."

"Well, that _was_ the point in coming out here," Bobby pointed out. "Looks like, as usual, Xavier knew what he was talking about when he suggested that we get away."

Kitty tilted her head, suddenly aware of the particular wording that Bobby was using, "There's something you're not telling me."

"You're not the only one who needed time away to clear their head, Kitty," Bobby said after a moment with a soft sigh. He gave her fingers a soft squeeze and motioned back towards the house, "Why don't we head back and I'll open up to you for a change?"

* * *

Kitty found that she was much more comfortable once she had a change of clothes and another mug of steaming hot chocolate. She could tell that her ribs were definitely going to be sore in the morning, but letting Bobby tackle her had definitely been a better option than phasing into the freezing water of the lake. She sat curled up on the living room couch, waiting for Bobby to join her. As she looked out the window, she saw it start to snow. A small smile came to her face as she thought of the place she once called home.

She didn't notice Bobby watching her at first. Normally she was able to hear every creak that the hardwood floors made, but right then, she was just lost in her own blissful thoughts. As he watched her, Bobby couldn't help but smile too. It was still strange to him that after so many weeks of the internal struggle and pain that she had been dealing with, that Kitty could once again be so relaxed. He finally cleared his throat, and Kitty jumped a bit, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long," Bobby said as he joined her on the couch. "You just looked so relaxed; I almost didn't want to ruin that for you."

"Aww, why do you think you'd ruin it for me?" Kitty asked as she turned to face him, a sympathetic look on her face. She reached out and put her hand on his knee, "You know I love your company. You're my best friend."

"It's nice to hear you say that again," Bobby said, a smile appearing on his face. "Because, to be honest, I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to be able to take you not talking to me." He inhaled slowly and moved his fingers through his hair, "I told you when we were outside that I'd be honest with you, just like you were with me. I just ask that you listen to what I have to say."

"Of course," Kitty said with a nod. She took a sip from her hot chocolate before placing the mug down on the coffee table. She looked back at Bobby, who was staring out into space for a few moments, as though he were searching for the right words to begin with.

"Do you remember when we truly started becoming friends?" Bobby asked her finally. Kitty blinked. She and Bobby had been friends for years and years. They met initially when she was fifteen, he was seventeen, god they were getting old now that she thought about it, but they hadn't really become close until they started training for battle with Ororo and Scott. They had all been hesitant about letting her train at such a young age, but Xavier had faith in her and let her start training.

"The first day they let me start training for battle," Kitty said finally. She moved her fingers through her hair, "We were in a self-defense class and you beat the crap out of me because I wasn't allowed to use my ability."

Bobby laughed, "Okay, first of all, I wasn't allowed to use my ability either, and second Scott told me to not take it easy on you; they wanted to see just how much knowledge of self-defense you had. I don't think I ever felt so bad about a self-defense class in my entire life, for the record. They were sure that you were going to back out of training, but you kept showing up, and you started getting stronger and fighting back."

"Well, I'm not an idiot," Kitty rolled her eyes. "But I _do_ remember just how bad you felt after that class. Something just clicked between us after that point and our friendship just grew from that point. God, I remember how much Marie hated me at first. She was never outwardly rude to me, but I could just tell that she didn't like me hanging around. And yeah, I felt guilty for that a lot, but at the same time, I didn't really have many friends. High school is hard enough, let alone mutant high school."

Bobby nodded, "Either way, since that day, I knew that you and I were going to be friends for a long, long time. After all, how many girls let a guy kick their ass and come back for more?" He glanced down at Kitty's mug of hot chocolate, and Kitty gave him a nod. With a grateful smile, he picked it up and took a sip from it, "Marie asked me over and over again to not get too close to you, but there was just _something_ about you, Kitty. When things got rough between Marie and me at different points, you were always there for me. You're the one person in the school that I actually felt comfortable talking to."

Kitty wanted to point out that though she was the one person that had been there for Bobby, it was probably that little fact right there that caused so much friction between him and Marie at different points, but she kept silent for the time being.

"It's been eight years, almost nine, since the day Marie thought about getting herself cured," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "And we've been on and off for those eight years, but you've been the one constant thing in my life in all that time, at least until the last few weeks, anyway. I thought I was going to lose my mind when you suddenly started pushing me away. Marie and I were talking about finally moving out of the school a few weeks before this happened, and suddenly I was dying to get out of there. It almost felt like the school wasn't big enough anymore."

"I know the feeling," Kitty sighed, reaching out for the mug of hot chocolate. Bobby handed it to her and she took a sip, "Bobby, I can't even begin to think of how much I hurt you. I was honestly just so deep in my own world when the visions started that shutting everyone out was the easiest way to deal with everything. I didn't want to be the reason that you and Marie broke up for good, and I didn't know what you would think if you knew what I was seeing in the visions."

"It kind of all makes sense to me, though," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "What happens between us in that timeline, I mean. From what I've seen, you and I were all that we had. We kept each other safe, hell, we slept together every night, nursed each other's injuries…. How could we not have been in love?"

Kitty shrugged as Bobby took back the mug, "You know, if you wanted hot chocolate, all you had to do was say something and I would have made you some."

"It's more fun to drink it this way," Bobby winked at her as he finished what was left in the mug. "Either way, Kitty, all that being said, where do you and I go from here? Do you really expect us to go back to being just best friends?"

"That's not something that I can answer for you, Bobby," Kitty said with a shake of her head. "You have to decide for yourself what you want, whether it be me, Marie, or neither one of us. Regardless of the choice that you make, you need to know that I'm never going to hurt you again like I did the last few weeks, but it has to be your choice; you're the one with something to lose, in the end, I'm the one who loses nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I don't know where the hell these long chapters are coming from. As always, your reviews/faves/follows make my day.

* * *

_Kitty paced the empty room, her fingers gripping at the roots of her hair. What the hell had she been thinking? What the hell had _they_ been thinking? They'd been so stupid, so naïve. How could they have let this happen? They'd been so careful through all the years that they'd been together, and yet…._

_Kitty glanced over at Bobby. He hadn't said a word, not one to her since she told him what she had been keeping from him for a few days. She felt bad about ever keeping a secret from him, but she truly had been lost as to how exactly to shatter his world along with hers. It had to be done, though. She couldn't keep something like this from him forever. Not when they had a choice to make._

"_Please," Kitty said at last, her voice low and weak. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she finally faced him. She felt pathetic, the way she was crying and falling apart, but she didn't know what else to do, "Please, just say _something_. I'm losing my mind here."_

"_I don't know what to say, Kitty," Bobby admitted finally. He sighed softly and walked over to her, hugging her tightly. Kitty felt comforted slightly as he finally held her. That was one thing she definitely needed. She needed him. "For the first time in a long, long time, I don't know what I'm supposed to say here. I've been worried about you being sick the last few days, and you kept telling me that something you ate was bad…."_

"_Yeah, well what woman doesn't say that when she doesn't want to admit the truth?" Kitty sniffled. She relaxed a bit as Bobby ran his hand over her hair, but the tears just kept coming. She and Bobby had been to hell and back several times over, but this seemed to make all the other times seem like a trip to heaven. "You know as well as I do that we _can't_ do this, Bobby. It's not fair, and it's not right, but we can't."_

"_You're not thinking about—"_

"_Of course not," Kitty said with a shake of her head. She truly didn't need Bobby to finish his question. The thought alone made her stomach turn even more than it had been. "No, I would never do something like that. But I do know what needs to be done. I need to send you back. You need to stop that night from ever happening, to stop _this_ from ever happening."_

_She brought his hand to her abdomen and he closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Kitty," He said in a soft voice. "I wish we didn't live in this shitty world where we spend every single day fighting to survive."_

"_Shh," Kitty soothed Bobby, her hands moving to his back to hold him a little closer as he held onto her. They seemed to be keeping each other from falling apart. In a little while, she wouldn't remember a thing. He would, though. He would always remember what she needed him to prevent. That wasn't fair either, but there wasn't another option. She stood on her toes and kissed him softly, trying to reassure both of them at the same time. "It's okay, Bobby. Maybe one day it will be safe for us, but right now, we can't be selfish. This isn't the world that a child deserves to be brought into."_

* * *

A wave of nausea rocked Kitty's body as she slammed back to reality. She trembled as she sat bolt upright, tears falling down her cheeks with a sob that shook her entire being. She barely made it to the toilet in time to empty her stomach into it, and she was more than a little certain that some of it wound up in the tips of her hair. She was crying in earnest when she sat back on her heels. She had definitely never expected a vision like that. She had been….

"Oh, god," Kitty moaned, her stomach rolling again. She pulled at her hair. These visions were ruining her life in more ways than one. They just wouldn't stop, and now they were actually not only making her cry, but making her physically sick. She threw up once more before she managed to get back on her feet. It was when she stood up and looked in the mirror that she saw Bobby there.

"What happened?" Bobby asked, walking into the bathroom, being gentleman enough to not shy away from the smell of vomit that filled the room. "Don't tell me a vision caused this…."

"I won't tell you then," Kitty groaned, filling a cup with some mouthwash and swishing it in her mouth. She felt weak and disgusting, and was more than a little thankful when she heard Bobby turn the shower on. She spit the mouthwash out and held onto the counter to steady and center herself for a moment.

"Do you think you can handle taking a shower on your own?" Bobby asked. It was then that Kitty realized that she had thrown up a bit on herself. How had that even happened? She was definitely anything but the picture of sophisticated grace at that moment in time. Yeah, she definitely needed a shower right then. She nodded once, "Are you sure?" Bobby asked, his tone truly concerned as he looked the disheveled woman in front of him up and down.

"I think so," Kitty nodded. "But would you stay in the bedroom, just in case?"

Bobby gave her a kind smile, "I'll be right outside. Just yell for me if you feel like you're going to fall or throw up again." He kissed her forehead and left her alone in the bathroom to shower. She was thankful that he hadn't insisted on hearing details of the vision right away. She needed to get cleaned up and clear her mind just a teeny bit before having that conversation with him. She stripped off her dirty clothes and got into the blissfully warm shower.

When she got out of the shower after spending some extra time just standing under the hot jets, she saw Bobby sitting on the bed, one leg on the floor, and scrolling through something on his iPhone. The moment he saw her in her bathrobe, he cleared his throat, "Um, I'll just give you some privacy to get dressed," He said, his cheeks burning. Kitty only imagined that he was trying very hard to not give her a once over with his eyes. Always the damn gentleman.

"I'd say it doesn't matter because you've already seen me naked, but unfortunately in this timeline, you haven't actually seen me naked," Kitty said with a sigh. She licked her lips, "At least not yet. Either way, I appreciate the chivalry, but I can just go change in the bathroom. I'd prefer if you didn't go too far away right now; I'm not sure my stomach is completely settled."

Bobby nodded once, going back to what he had been doing on his phone and trying to not pay too much attention to Kitty as she dug through her clothes. Kitty couldn't help but smile at him, "You're really something else," She said in a soft voice as she retreated back into the bathroom. Once her clothes were changed, her teeth brushed, and her hair piled up into a messy bun, she returned to the bedroom, and flopped back down on the bed.

"I'm guessing you heard me wake up?" She asked at last.

"You screamed," Bobby said. Kitty's cheeks burned. She hadn't even realized she'd yelled when she'd woken up. She felt so out of it and weak and she hated herself for it. "I thought you'd hurt yourself or something, but then I heard you in the bathroom and I figured that it had to have been another vision."

"I've never had a vision affect me like that before," Kitty said with a soft sigh. She reached out and took Bobby's hand, the coolness of it feeling amazing against her own burning skin. "When I came out of it I was so nauseous that I almost didn't make it to the bathroom. There's gotta be a way to get these freaking visions under control." She bit her lower lip and turned onto her side, "Thank you for not demanding that I tell you what I saw right away and giving me the time to shower. I needed that shower really badly."

"I might be curious about your visions, Kitty, but I'm not a jerk," Bobby said with a soft laugh. "I know you'll tell me when you're comfortable telling me. I don't think you're going to keep anything from me anymore." He could tell how miserable Kitty felt at that moment and his heart ached for her. He hesitated for a moment longer before laying down beside her. He reached out and rubbed her burning skin with a cool hand. He knew that Kitty wasn't about to toss him out as her eyes started closing, and she was soon out once again. Bobby smiled and allowed himself to relax beside her, not even aware of the fact that he was falling asleep. There would be time for Kitty to tell him about the vision later, if she wanted.

* * *

Kitty fell asleep with the coolness of Bobby's hand rubbing against her arm, but when she woke up, she was burning hot. She rolled onto her back and stretched before she ever opened her eyes. She could hear Bobby's slow, even breathing beside her, and she smiled as she opened her eyes. He was fast asleep, his hand outstretched as he had fallen asleep holding onto her. He looked peaceful as he slept, younger, like he didn't have a care in the world.

_I wouldn't mind waking up to that every morning_, Kitty thought in spite of herself. She knew the last thing she should be thinking about was that, but she couldn't help herself. She sat up slowly, very thankful when the room didn't start spinning as it had when she'd woken up the first time. She looked around and found her phone on the nightstand. It was only nearing eleven o'clock, but she felt as though she'd slept for hours. She turned back over to face Bobby, part of her not wanting to wake him up. She reached out hesitantly, placing her hand lightly on his cheek. He had some scruff, but not the full-blown beard he'd had in the alternate timeline, and Kitty had to admit, he looked better with the bit of scruff.

Kitty noticed the slight change in Bobby's breathing as her touch roused him from his sleep, the way his fingers twitched as though he were trying to make sure that she was still there. He inhaled slowly, a low groan rumbling in his throat, and his eyes opened to reveal the crystalline blue orbs that Kitty had fallen for almost instantly in another time, "Hey," He said, his hand reaching out to touch her arm. "How are you feeling?"

"I definitely feel better," Kitty said with a nod. "I wouldn't try eating anything too heavy at the moment, but I do feel better."

"I'm happy to hear it," Bobby said, a smile appearing on his face. He glanced at her, at the bed, and then back at her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep in your bed. I was just rubbing your arm and sort of drifted off."

Kitty rolled her eyes, "It's fine, Bobby, really. Look, from now on, how about we have an agreement to not make things weird between us? Whatever happens, happens. Technically I'm supposed to be taking the lead from you, since you're the one who has a choice to make, but you're just making all of this so easy on me. I can't imagine that everything is really so peaceful for you on the inside."

Bobby shook his head, "I'm okay, Kitty. I can't honestly say that being here with you feels like it's wrong to me. I know that might be bad of me to say, but this just _feels_ right, the two of us here, me watching out for you when you don't feel well… it feels like something that I should be doing, that I want to be doing."

Kitty felt her cheeks burn slightly, "You've always been such a sweetheart, Bobby. If there were more guys like you around the world, everyone would be a lot better off." She leaned over and kissed Bobby's forehead, not missing the way he smiled up at her. The smile he gave her was different, though, more intimate than it had been recently. She bit down on her lower lip as her fingers moved through his hair, and she could tell he was watching for her reactions and actions carefully.

She sighed softly, her hand moving along his shoulder. It felt almost strange to be sitting here with him, but at the same time, it felt almost normal. It was almost like something just kept pulling her back toward him. She heard him sigh contently as her fingers trailed along his skin, and something just seemed to click in her mind, "Screw it," She said with a shake of her head. She leaned down and kissed Bobby softly and the world around her seemed to explode in a bright light as their lips met. Bobby's hands slid to her waist, holding her closer as he kissed her back, coaxing a low moan from Kitty's throat before he pulled away to look her over.

"Wow," Bobby said with a smirk, moving his fingers through Kitty's curtain of dark hair. He pulled her close once again and rested his forehead against hers. "I have to admit, since I heard about those visions that you've been having, I wondered just what being with you would be like. I'd say it's off to something of a good start."

Kitty leaned against Bobby, "The sad thing is, I probably know your body a whole lot better than you think I do," She said with a soft laugh. She felt her cheeks continue to burn as she looked Bobby up and down, "You've only seen a piece of those visions. But I remember a lot. I remember taking care of your wounds, and I remember some more _intimate_ times as well." She watched as Bobby's cheeks turned red as well and she bit down on her lower lip as she watched him carefully.

"Well, that's not really fair, now is it?" Bobby asked, his deep blue eyes glimmering with playfulness. He rubbed Kitty's side gently, "Here you know all these things about me, but I know barely a thing about you."

"You'll learn, in time," Kitty winked at him. She nuzzled his cheek and smirked. "That is, if you're good."

Bobby laughed and shook his head, "You're really something, Kitty," He said as he wrapped an arm around her to hug her close. He kissed her forehead before pulling back a bit, "Do you want something to eat? Or do you want to do something other than spend the entire day in bed?"

"Not really," Kitty admitted with a wrinkle of her nose. "Truth be told, I'm still not feeling all that great. Maybe a lazy day is just what I need."

"Tell you what," Bobby said, his hand rubbing her side once again, "Why don't we go down into the living room, find a movie, and spend some time relaxing down there?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Kitty nodded. She stretched, some of her joints popping as she did so, and got out of bed with a yawn. She felt like she could definitely use more sleep, "By the way," She said, looking back at Bobby as she headed for the door, "I know I said it before, but thank you for not forcing me to tell you about the vision I had this morning."

Bobby walked over to Kitty and put an arm around her waist, "Well, I figured that it was probably pretty bad to affect you the way that it did, and that you'd tell me when you felt comfortable doing so. I'm not about to force you to do anything, Kitty."

Kitty sighed softly as they walked down the stairs together. She wanted to tell Bobby what she had seen that morning, she really did, but she also didn't know how he was going to react. Things seemed like they were finally starting to head in the right direction for both of them, the last thing that she wanted to do was bring both their moods back down.

"Tonight," Kitty said finally as they walked into the living room. "I'll tell you tonight when we have dinner. Let me just get through the day and relax and we can talk about it then."

"Okay," Bobby said with a nod. "If that's what you want to do, then that's fine with me. Go pick out a movie. I want to get some stuff from the kitchen."

Kitty nodded and walked over to the wall of Blu-ray cases. She was looking for one particular movie. She was determined to fine it amongst the collection. If they had a copy of it at the school, surely there was one here too…. Her eyes lit up as she found the movie she was looking for. She was determined to get into the Blu-ray player before Bobby got back from the kitchen. She turned on the TV, along with the Blu-ray player and slid the disc in, and by the time that Bobby came back, she was curled up on the couch with a blanket.

"I made some toast for you," Bobby said with a smile as he approached her. "It's not much, but it's something that shouldn't irritate your stomach. And I've also got some ginger ale and…." He paused as he glanced at the TV, "Kitty, what are we watching?"

"A movie," Kitty said with a small smile. She reached out and took a piece of toast from the plate Bobby offered her before shifting slightly, pulling the blanket aside, "Come sit with me."

Bobby eyed Kitty suspiciously, but he wasn't about to not take her invitation to sit with her. He put the bottle of ginger ale down on the table, still holding the plate of toast for Kitty, and a bowl of cereal for himself, "Kitty…."

"Yes?"

"You're going to make me sit through Frozen, aren't you?"

"I'm not going to _make_ you do anything," Kitty said with a shrug. She smiled at him, "But you know as well as I do that you're not going to say no to watching a movie with me, regardless of what it is, especially not when you get to be cuddled up on the couch with me."

Bobby chuckled and shook his head as he wrapped an arm around Kitty to hold her close, "I know I've said this before, but you _really_ are something else, Kitty."

Kitty stuck her tongue out at him and relaxed against him as she hit the play button, starting the animated movie that had somehow become one of her favorites. It wasn't long until she started singing along with the opening song, and Bobby couldn't help but feel his admiration for her grow. She didn't care that she was a grown woman she was clearly still a child at heart, and she didn't care what he, or anyone else, thought about it.

It wasn't until they reached the scene where Elsa was singing 'Let It Go' that Bobby nudged her playfully. Kitty had been humming along with the song, completely lost in her own world. She looked peaceful and relaxed and exactly like the Kitty that Bobby had been missing the last few weeks, "You relate with Elsa, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked as the song ended. She sat up a bit, as she had wound up with her head on Bobby's shoulder while they watched the movie.

"Well, yesterday you started singing 'Let It Go' while we were ice skating," Bobby reminded her. "And the last few weeks you were pushing everyone away to be on your own and deal with the visions that you were having that you weren't telling anyone about…."

"All I need are the badass snow powers and I'll really be like Elsa," Kitty said with a laugh. Bobby frowned at her, "Oh, you know you'll always be my favorite person with cryokinesis. But, I guess you're kinda right. The last few weeks all I wanted was to be on my own because of the secret I was keeping. But now, I just don't care; getting away from it all proved to be the most beneficial thing that I could have done." She put her head back down on Bobby's shoulder, "In more ways than one," She said with a small smile as she put her hand on one of Bobby's cheeks and kissed the other.

"I gotta say though," Bobby smirked as his fingers trailed lightly along Kitty's arm, cooling her skin, "Whoever animated Elsa must have really loved making her hips…."

"Bobby Drake," Kitty growled playfully, whacking him with a pillow. "Don't. Just don't. Please?"

"Hey, Anna is the one who mentioned having a ballroom but no balls…."

"Bobby!" Kitty whacked him harder and Bobby growled at her, grabbing a pillow of his own to whack her back. Kitty's eyes blazed and suddenly she was on Bobby, tickling him and having a strange sense of déjà vu as he laughed beneath her, "You are _not_ going to ruin one of my favorite movies for me, got it?"

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll stop," Bobby laughed as he grabbed Kitty's wrists to save himself from her tickling. He held her still and smiled up at her, "I'm guessing the you and me from the other timeline settle a lot of arguments with tickling."

"Something like that," Kitty nodded, remembering the vision where Bobby had woken her up to watch the meteor shower. She relaxed against him, putting her head down on his shoulder once again and he let her hands go to wrap his arms around her. She sighed contently as she slid a little lower to put her head on his chest and listen to his strong, steady heartbeat. This felt right to Kitty. The feeling of his arms around her made her feel safe, at ease, while the sound of his heart reminded her that he was truly there with her in the moment.

Kitty was drifting off again, part of her mind listening to the movie, part concentrating on the fact that Bobby was alternating between playing with her hair and rubbing her arm, when suddenly a loud BOOM caught her attention. The house shook violently and both Kitty and Bobby were on their feet as an alarm started wailing.

"What the hell was that?" Kitty asked as Bobby walked over to a panel on the wall where a small tablet was fixed. He tapped a code in and an image of the cabin appeared, with a light blinking on the south end.

"Someone's here," Bobby said, his fingers flying along the tablet, trying to access the house's security system. He growled softly when the security system told him that the camera system was down. "They just blew out a wall…." He glanced at Kitty, "What are the odds of me actually getting you to agree to stay here?"

Kitty arched a brow at Bobby and rolled her eyes. Part of her didn't want to believe that he had just asked her that. She might not be feeling one hundred percent, but she wasn't about to fall apart, "Yeah, like that's happening. Come on, Romeo; we're stronger together, and you know it."

Bobby didn't argue with Kitty, but led the way to the opposite end of the cabin, where both of them could smell the stench of a fire. Kitty grabbed a washcloth from the linen cabinet as they passed it and handed one to Bobby, using it to cover her mouth so she could breathe a little more clearly.

As they approached the side of the house that was on fire, Bobby shot ice from his hand in a steady stream to put it out, but Kitty felt a strange chill pass through her body as she looked around, "Who would have done this?" She asked Bobby, taking the washcloth away from her mouth. The side of the house was completely destroyed and still smoking as she looked around.

"I'll give you three guesses."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Dun, dun, dun... Do I really need to keep saying thank you? XP

* * *

Bobby and Kitty exchanged glances as the voice spoke. They both knew that voice, though they hadn't heard it in years. Kitty watched as Bobby didn't hesitate for a moment longer, his entire body turning to ice as a warning, "Where are you, John?"

"Well, look who finally grew a set," Bobby's once friend-turned rival John Allerdyce appeared through the smoke, playing idly with a silver lighter that he held in his hand. "Only took what, twenty-six years or so," He said with a smirk. His eyes landed on Kitty, "Hello again, Kitty. I'd say it's nice to see you, but I've been watching both of you the last few days, and clearly you made a very stupid choice in a boyfriend."

A low growl rumbled in Kitty's throat. She couldn't believe John was actually standing right in front of them. He had gone off the grid years earlier after Bobby saved his life, "What are you doing here, John? How'd you even know we were here?"

"I was once at Xavier's school," John said with a shrug as he continued to turn the lighter in his hand. "I know about the 'safe' houses. There are mutants all over the country staking out these houses, just hoping to run into some of Xavier's pets. I've been here for about a week or so. But, imagine my surprise when I saw the two of you land here a few days ago. I was must admit, Kitty, seeing you here was really the surprise. I was expecting to see Rogue, but apparently Bobby here has moved on from that weak, pathetic excuse for a mutant."

Bobby snarled and shot a stream of ice straight at John, only to be met by a burst of flames in return. The two forces collided in mid-air and exploded. Kitty braced her arms in front of her face as debris went flying in all directions. She stepped back, wanting to stay out of the way in case things got messy between the two former best friends, but at the same time, she wanted to be able to help in some way.

"Still the same Bobby," John rolled his eyes. "You're still not strong enough to beat me."

"I saved your life," Bobby growled. He was keeping his attention divided between Kitty and John, not missing the occasional glances that John was giving Kitty. Something wasn't right. He wished Kitty would have just stayed behind, but he knew she would never have done that.

"And I thank you for that, Bobby," John said with a nod. He smirked as he kept his eyes locked on Bobby. "Which is why my current target isn't you."

Before Bobby could say another word, John sent a blast of fire straight for a beam that was holding part of the ceiling together. With a loud cracking sound, the debris from the roof began to rain down right where Kitty was standing, "No!" Bobby snarled, throwing out his hand as Kitty dodged out of the way and he froze the rubble from the ceiling in place. He sighed in relief when he saw that Kitty had gotten out of the way. Not that she couldn't have easily just phased through it all. He turned his attention back to John, "Why are you doing this, John?" He asked. "We've done nothing to you."

"You might not have, Bobby, but there's a whole alliance of mutants who are tired of having to stay hidden while a bunch of you sit happily in Xavier's lap," John said.

"You're the one who left us to begin with," Bobby growled, realizing that Kitty had apparently vanished from behind him. He wondered vaguely just what she was up to. "Nobody kicked you out of the school or turned their back on you. You made the choice. You're the only person that you have to blame."

"Sorry if I don't feel the same way, Bobby," John said with a shake of his head. "I never belonged at that school like you did." A ball of fire appeared in his hand and started to grow in size, but as the ball grew, John started sinking into the ground, "What the hell?!"

Kitty smirked at him as she appeared out of the ground beside him, "That should hold you for a while," She said with a shake of her head. She smirked at Bobby, who had returned to his normal form, the ice turning back into his skin.

"You stupid bitch!" John snarled and shot the ball of fire at her, that stupid silver lighter still in his hand, but the fire just went straight through her, hitting the side of the house and sending debris flying everywhere. Kitty gasped as she felt the heat pass through her body, though she wasn't burned. It just wasn't very comfortable feeling it pass through her.

Kitty turned back to John and arched an eyebrow at him, "That wasn't very nice of you," She commented as she rounded on him, her dark eyes blazing.

"Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it, Kitty?" John asked as he started struggling to get himself out of the ground. "All you can do is phase through me and trap me in the ground like this. You're no better than Rogue was."

"Kitty," Bobby's voice cut through the anger coursing through Kitty's body. Kitty turned to look at Bobby, distracted for the moment as John sent another ball of fire flying straight through her and into Bobby. She felt the burn of the heat pass through her own body once again, but it barely registered with the shock that jolted through her at the same moment.

"NO!" Kitty's shriek mixed with Bobby's cry of pain, though he used his ability to put the fire out almost instantly. But the damage was done, Bobby fell to the ground, his shirt shredded and an angry red mark spread across his torso. Kitty was torn between turning back to beat the living crap out of John, or to run to Bobby and try to help him. In the end, her worry for Bobby quelled her anger and she ran over to him.

"Bobby, Bobby," Kitty said, her hands shaking as she carefully turned him over so she could better see what John had done to him. Bobby cried out again as Kitty moved him, and she instantly felt horrible for doing so. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," She said, her throat tight as she looked over the damage to his body. It was bad, worse than she had initially thought. His abdomen was burned a deep, angry red, and almost looked like it was blistering. She reached out around her and took some of the snow in her hands, carefully spreading it over the burns, "You're going to be okay, Bobby," She said in a low voice. "I promise, you're going to be okay…."

"Kitty…."

Kitty looked around. From behind her, John had vanished, but Kitty couldn't worry about him right now. She walked over to Bobby and held onto him, allowing her power to flow through him as she dragged him through the snow. She brought him around the house to the Blackbird and opened the hatch. Once onboard, Kitty's mind started reeling. She grabbed the first aid kit and found some cream for burns, but it wasn't going to be enough. She pulled out her phone and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Kitty, what's wrong?" Jean Grey asked the moment she answered the phone. Always the telepath, always able to tell when something was wrong before she even answered the phone.

"Bobby," Kitty said, trying very hard to not wail over the phone. She started talking very quickly, though she tried to be as clear as possible. "John, I mean Pyro, he attacked. The house is half destroyed, Bobby's been burned. It's bad, Jean… I need to get him back to New York…."

"Kitty, Kitty _listen_ to me," Jean said, her tone firm but clear. "I need you to stay calm and just listen. The Blackbird can have you guys back to New York pretty quickly if you have it set to its highest power, but it's still going to take upwards of an hour. Gather some snow from outside and keep it in the onboard freezer. You're going to need to keep Bobby's burn as cool as possible. If you need to, there's some sedative in the medical bay onboard the Blackbird too. Grab some ice from the freezer at the house if you're able to as well. We'll be waiting for you when you get back, alright?"

"Okay," Kitty managed to squeak out, listening to Jean's directions. She ran as fast as she could and grabbed some buckets from the garage of the house. She filled some with snow and some with ice, and within minutes, they were on their way back to New York.

* * *

Two days later, if you asked Kitty what had gone on in Colorado, you were more likely to get a glare and a rough cursing than an answer. She had returned to the school with Bobby, trying to keep her mind calm, but winding up having to be sedated herself by the end of it. She woke up that night in her old room with Logan, of all people, keeping an eye on her. She'd kicked him out of her room and gone to check on Bobby herself. He would recover, it would just take some time, and for the moment he was being kept sedated to avoid him having to feel the full pain of the burns. Whenever someone asked her how she was doing, all she would give them was a simple 'I'm fine' before returning to whatever she was doing.

On the inside, a storm was raging in her heart. She wanted John. She wanted him to pay. She'd told Xavier what John had told her, about the other 'safe' houses being watched, and Xavier had promised to check into it, but that wasn't enough for Kitty. She'd gone back to teaching, but whenever she wasn't teaching or grading, she was in the Danger Room. She was finding, though, that she and the hologram version of John that she programed, no matter how she played it, were too evenly matched. While his flames couldn't hurt her, they were almost too evenly matched as

She was just walking out of her fifth attempt to bring down John when she almost ran into Ororo. The older woman arched an eyebrow at her, "You're exhausting yourself, Kitty."

"I'm trying to be prepared," Kitty responded, inhaling slowly and deeply, trying to slow her heart rate down. She removed her gloves and mover her fingers through her hair. "I owe John a fight, and I'm going to give him one when we find him."

"You know the Danger Room's not supposed to be used like that."

Kitty glared at Ororo, "I'm not your student anymore, Storm," She snapped. "I'm an adult, in case you haven't realized, and I'm not going to let myself get walked over next time I come face-to-face with that bastard. Did you come find me for an actual reason, or just to chastise me for trying to be prepared?"

"Bobby's awake," Ororo said at last. Kitty could tell that her once mentor wasn't happy with the way she had been spoken to, but Kitty wasn't about to apologize. "He's been asking for you."

That was all Kitty needed to hear before she took off running towards the infirmary. She was beyond breathless by the time she reached the room. She doubled over, her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath again. Maybe Ororo had a point; maybe she was pushing herself too hard. But she'd worry about that later. She walked into the infirmary, and didn't miss the way Jean looked her outfit up and down.

"You've been busy," Jean commented as Kitty crossed the room. Kitty could only imagine that Ororo had sent ahead a warning to Jean. Not that Jean would have missed the way that she was having trouble catching her breath at the moment, nor the chaos that was clearly running through her mind.

"Gotta do something to keep myself from going crazy," Kitty shrugged, dropping her gloves onto a chair before she walked around a curtain that was separating Bobby's bed from the rest of the room. She felt like a weight lifted from her chest as she saw Bobby's crystal blue eyes open and gazing around. They landed on her and a smile appeared on his face.

"There you are," He said, his voice a little hoarse. "I must say, I'm surprised, I would have thought you were going to be here when I woke up." He tilted his head as he looked at her, "Were you in the—"

"Yes," Kitty nodded, moving her fingers through her hair. "I was in the Danger Room. And, before anyone else tells you, I've been spending a lot of time there. I'm trying to figure out just how in the hell I could possibly beat John the next time the bastard and I cross paths."

Bobby blinked. He had never heard Kitty talk like that. She was a fighter, a damn good one at that, but she never actually sought out a fight with someone, "Kitty, you shouldn't go looking for a fight with John. It's not worth it. You know he's not working alone."

"Like anyone can actually hurt me," Kitty rolled her eyes.

"You're not invincible either," Bobby said. He wished he wasn't stuck in the hospital bed at that moment so that he could be at eye level with her so he could feel like his words were actually having a bit of impact. "All they need is a bit of adamantium and your ability to phase is neutralized. John knows that too, he'll be ready the next time you see him."

"And if I don't care?"

Bobby reached out and took Kitty's hand, "Kitty, please," She forced herself to look away from him, but he pulled on her hand until she looked back at him, into those eyes that she hated herself for loving so much. Her breath caught in her chest as she reached out with her other hand and cupped his cheek, "Please, Kitty, don't go down this road. There's no way that this is going to end well for you, and if it ends badly for you, it's going to end badly for me."

Kitty sighed and sat down carefully on the edge of Bobby's bed, "I don't know what else to do, Bobby. It's all I can think about. I couldn't do a damn thing to stop John from burning you, and what's worse? That ball of fire was supposed to hit me, but it went right through me and hit you instead of me."

"So you would have been in this bed instead of me if you had been solid at the time," Bobby pointed out. "And then I would probably be feeling the same way as you right now, but Kitty, it's not the right way to do things."

"At least you against John would be a fair fight," Kitty rolled her eyes. She felt Bobby squeeze her hand and she looked back at him again. "He made me feel weak, Bobby, and there's nothing I hate more than that."

"Kitty, you're anything but weak, and you know it," Bobby said, linking his fingers through hers. He smiled at her, "You can do incredible things, I've seen it firsthand. You helped Logan save all of us, Kitty."

"And yet I still feel so damn weak," Kitty sighed. She licked her lips as she looked at Bobby, "I'm sorry, Bobby. I'm just going a little bit out of my mind. I lost it when John's fire hit you instead of hitting me. I guess it was kind of a sucky end to a few really good days." She tilted her head at Bobby and a small smile appeared on her face. She leaned over and kissed Bobby's forehead, hesitating for a moment before she kissed his lips softly, a small sense of relief flowing through her as he kissed her back, easing some of her internal pain. Bobby's fingers moved to lace through her hair and their kiss slowly started to deepen.

"Bobby?"

Kitty winced as reality came crashing back down on her with the soft southern drawl. She propelled herself from the bed as though someone had loaded a spring beneath her. Bobby looked at her and shook his head, "Kitty…."

"I'll be back later, Bobby," Kitty promised, phasing as Bobby tried to grab her arm to keep her there. She ducked around the curtain and slammed right into Marie. Out of habit, she put some distance between herself and Marie instantly as Marie's hand touched her arm. Old habits died hard. She knew that Marie's ability could no longer kill her with a touch, but she was still used to that being able to happen.

"Oh, hi Kitty," Marie said, the temperature in the room seeming to drop between the two of them. "Why are you—"

"I was just making sure Bobby was okay," Kitty interrupted Marie's question. She realized then that her heart was suddenly racing and she was talking very quickly, her tone much higher than normal. "Ororo told me that he was up, so I wanted to see for myself."

"I wasn't going to ask why you were here," Marie shook her head. "I was going to ask you why you're in your uniform."

"Danger room session," Kitty said instantly. "Hey, speaking of, I've got to run. I'll catch you later. Bye, Bobby!"

Kitty bounded from the room and didn't stop until she reached her room. She'd leave it to Bobby to explain things to Marie. That was his mess to deal with. She finally, finally got out of her uniform and headed straight to her shower. She had to admit, she was relieved that they'd finally taken Bobby off of the sedative. That was a positive step. The burns must have finally been reacting to his ability and healing quicker. As the hot water pounded her aching muscles, Kitty found herself thinking of the problem that she and Bobby now had.

How exactly were they going to handle… whatever they now were to each other? It was something new to both of them, and something she knew that most people would have a hard time accepting, all things considered. And Bobby, he had enough to deal with at the moment, trying to recover from the burns that John had inflicted on him. For the time being, Kitty had a lot on her mind, and she was just feeling, more than anything, that she was all alone with her demons, and that was a very dark place to be.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: First off, wow. I am -so- sorry that it took me this long to update. My muse was a fucking bitch when it came to continuing this story. Either way, the point is, I'm back. Second, thank you. Thank you to each and every single one of you who kept telling me that they hope I update soon, because believe it or not, it helped. I love you guys more than you could ever know. Now, on with the story.

* * *

_Pain, chaos, darkness. God, her head and chest hurt so badly. How could they hurt so badly? Why wouldn't he kill her and put her out of her misery? Why did he insist on making sure she was breathing? Couldn't he see how much pain she was in? Every time she inhaled, her lungs protested. She couldn't keep her eyes open for longer than a few minutes at a time, and her head… the Adamantium from the camp may have no longer been surrounding her, but her headache never seemed to go away._

_Every time she opened her eyes, he was there, telling her to drink. He held her, supporting her back and neck as he helped her sip something from a cup. What the hell was it that he insisted she kept drinking? Whatever it was seemed to glow a sickly green color, but it seemed to help her feel better for a short while after she drank it._

_She was horrible to him at times, crying to him when her pain reached its apex. She begged him to kill her and cursed him when he refused, holding onto her and telling her that she was going to be okay, but she had to trust him and know that it was going to get worse before it got better, but it _was_ going to get better._

_And somehow, it did get better. She wasn't sure how it happened, but one morning she woke, and it was like it had all just been a dream._

* * *

"Professor Pryde, can I ask you a question, really quickly?"

Kitty grinned from her place by the whiteboard. She was just finishing up a lecture and the bell was about to ring, "Well, considering how you usually speak, I guess really quickly is the only way that you actually ask a question, Melanie."

The mutant who had raised her hand grinned back at Kitty as several of the students laughed, "I'm just having some problems with question seven…."

Kitty walked over to Melanie's desk and leaned over to get a better look at what the young woman was referring to, and she heard the distant bell start ringing. Around them the class started to leave, each one saying good-bye to Kitty in turn, and she helped work Melanie through the question before looking up and seeing Bobby leaning against her desk. She blinked, making sure that he was really there, her cheeks going pink. She hadn't even heard Bobby come in, but there he was, leaning against her desk like he owned it, looking much better than he had since they'd returned to the school from Colorado. Beside her, Melanie grinned knowingly as she gathered up her things, "Have a nice day, Professor Pryde."

"You too," Kitty said as she walked back toward her desk, sweeping her hair back with a low sigh as she closed the door and faced Bobby. She tilted her head as she looked up at him, feeling her breath catch as usual when he looked at her. Those eyes always got her, "What are you doing here? You didn't mention they were letting you out today."

Bobby smiled and reached out to caress her cheek. Kitty felt her skin burn where Bobby touched her, despite the coolness of his skin, but she leaned into his touch regardless, "I honestly didn't know that I was. Jean let me out on the condition that I promise to actually take it easy for a few days. I'm going to start teaching again tomorrow, though."

As he stood beside her, Bobby couldn't help but notice just how tired Kitty seemed as she leaned against his hand. She hadn't been sleeping much from what he'd heard from various people around the school who had been seeing her at all hours of the night, "How are you?" He asked at last, his thumb brushing her cheekbone. "You look like you've barely slept the last few nights."

"Probably because I haven't been," Kitty said with a soft sigh. She had missed the coolness of Bobby's touch; it relaxed her in some strange way. She had been working in the Danger Room for several days, but at night she didn't seem to be able to get her mind to shut down, unless it was just long enough for her to have a nightmare or a vision of the other timeline. "Aside from the normal visions, John has been visiting me in my dreams. He likes to try to burn me to a crisp."

"How kind of him," Bobby said thickly. He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head at Kitty. He knew the visions rarely stopped, but the news of nightmares wasn't surprising to him after what had happened at the cabin, "Why didn't you tell me? You've been visiting me every day, but you never mentioned having nightmares."

"You had enough to deal with," Kitty said, her eyes traveling to his abdomen where she knew he had gotten burned the worst. Bobby's ice abilities had sped the healing of the burns he'd received from John, but she knew there was no way he could possibly be fully healed already. There was also one other thing bothering her, and she hated herself for asking the moment that the words left her, "How's Marie?"

Bobby sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He should have expected that one, "I wouldn't know," He said at last. Kitty blinked and tilted her head as she looked at him, not really sure what he meant. "I haven't seen her since that first day; we ended things. I think we both knew that it was over the minute Xavier told me to go to Colorado with you, but now it's official."

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Kitty said after a moment's silence.

"Are you?" Bobby asked, arching a brow at Kitty. Kitty said nothing. _Was_ she really sorry that Bobby and Marie had broken up? Her mind wandered back to Colorado, to the peace they'd shared, and the easiness between them, "Because, if anything, I would have thought you'd be relieved or happy or something other than sorry."

"It was never my intention to break you two up," Kitty said at last. She stood straight before Bobby, her voice gaining confidence as she spoke, "But at the same time, I know this isn't my fault, at least not entirely. It's not like you pushed me away when I kissed you in Colorado, or you refused to cuddle on the couch with me, or _anything_ that would have made it seem like you wanted anything other than to be with me while we were out there. So really, what do _I_ have to be sorry for?"

"Not a thing," Bobby said finally. He inhaled slowly and deeply before standing opposite her and looking into her eyes. "I think we both know that even before now there was something between the two of us, it just took finding out about those visions that you were having for me to do something about it. Anyone can tell that Marie and I haven't exactly been the most loving couple in the world in a while, but part of me really didn't want to end it, and yet part of me…." He reached out and tilted Kitty's chin slightly so she was facing him, "Part of me wondered what being with you would really be like, Kitty," He said before he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Kitty's heart felt like it swelled to three times its size as her lips met Bobby's. The kiss in the mountains had been completely spur of the moment, but Kitty could tell that this was something Bobby had been thinking about for some time. It was slow and tender, everything their first kiss hadn't been. Kitty wrapped her arms around Bobby's neck, pulling him closer. God, why did he have to be so much taller than her? She leaned against her desk, a soft moan escaping her as their kiss deepened, Bobby's hands finding her sides, holding her close.

Slowly, they pulled away from each other, both of their hearts racing. Kitty kept her hand on Bobby's shoulder, not wanting to let him go too far just yet. Finally, he leaned his forehead to hers and she wrapped her arms around him, "You have no idea how familiar this all feels to me," She said in a soft tone. She sighed softly and looked up at Bobby, "That day in Colorado, when I woke up, I woke up sick…."

"I remember," Bobby said with a nod. He tilted his head slightly. That whole day was a little fuzzy to him, but he did remember hearing Kitty scream and then her being bent over the toilet throwing up. It was the first time in a long time that he had been truly worried about her. "You said that it was caused by a vision you had, but you promised you'd tell me over that dinner that we never got to have."

Kitty sighed softly. She knew that she still had to tell Bobby about _that_ particular vision. It was only fair that she tell him. She'd promised him no more secrets, no matter what happened between them.

"Bobby, we—"

"Professor Pryde?"

Kitty jumped as she heard the voice of one of her students, and almost instantly, Bobby was a few feet away from her. She regained herself almost instantly, straightening up from her desk. She shot Bobby a look, and the female student's cheeks turned red, "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry," She said nervously. "I didn't mean to interrupt you and Professor Drake if you were in the middle of something."

"It's fine," Kitty said with a shake of her head. Great, that was all that they needed: a student finding out that there was something going on between her and Bobby and having it spread through the school like a wildfire. Not to mention the fact that most people were very much aware that Bobby had been with Marie. As she glanced at Bobby, she saw he had his phone out and was doing something with it, "What can I do for you, Adrianna?"

"Have a nice day, Kitty," Bobby said with a noncommittal smile as he walked by the two of them, just as Kitty heard her own phone buzz. The slick fucker; of course he had a solution to everything. Kitty watched him leave before turning her attention back to what Adrianna was talking to her about, but her mind was definitely not there. After answering the student's question, Kitty went straight for her phone, curious as to just what Bobby had texted her.

**Meet me by the fountain at 8**

* * *

Kitty was never one to say no to anyone, least of all Bobby. So that night, right before eight, she headed down toward the fountain. It was a chilly night, so she had pulled a hoodie on before leaving her room. She could only wonder what he wanted, though part of her was pretty sure about what the answer was. When she got down to the fountain, Bobby was already there, playing _with_ the water. A ball of water was actually floating in front of him, apparently being controlled by his hand motions. She watched for a moment as the ball of water floated up higher and higher before circling around Bobby.

"What the…?" Bobby jumped at Kitty's voice, the ball of water falling directly on top of him, promptly soaking him. Kitty yelped and jumped back, avoiding getting some of the water on her shoes. She immediately shot Bobby an apologetic look, "Oh, gosh, I'm so, _so_ sorry, Bobby," She said, walking up to him as he shook his head and rubbed the water off of his face. "I thought you had heard me, but apparently not."

"It's okay," Bobby said with a shake of his head. His own sweatshirt was now soaked and there was water dripping down the side of his face. "I knew you were coming, but I sometimes forget how quiet you can be."

"How long have you been practicing that?" Kitty asked, referring to the water manipulation that she had witnessed for a few moments. She wasn't sure whether the Bobby in the alternate timeline had been able to do it, she'd never seen him use it if he had, but then there was a lot she probably still hadn't seen.

"Not long," Bobby said with a sigh. "Xavier was the one who told me it might be possible, since ice is just a form of water. It's similar to John's ability, though, where I need to actually have water around me to manipulate it." He extended his hand and a small stream of water rose from the fountain like a liquid snake, "I can't do it for long periods of time, though, just long enough to keep practicing with it. If I can learn to control it well enough, though, maybe it can be used against John when we eventually cross paths again."

Kitty watched in silence for a moment before she noticed that the water was getting a little too close for comfort as it floated through the air. It was then that she saw the smirk on Bobby's face too, "Bobby," She said, a warning note in her voice. "Bobby, stop," She backed up a bit and the water kept getting closer to her. Was he really going to soak her too? He totally would, though, "Bobby, Bobby, please, _stop_!"

Bobby laughed and with a slight motion, the water receded and returned to the fountain with a soft splash, "Sorry," He said, his smile in place. "I wasn't _really_ going to get you wet, though I should have after you made me drop the last one on myself."

"Okay, it is not _my_ fault you're so jumpy," Kitty said with a roll of her eyes as she sat down on the edge of the fountain and smiled up at him. She tilted her head, "Either way, you texted me to come meet you, didn't you?"

"I did," Bobby nodded as he sat down beside Kitty. He reached out and took her hand before continuing, "For the last few days that I've been in the infirmary, I couldn't help but wonder what that last vision you had was, Kitty. I couldn't begin to imagine what you had seen that made your body react the way that it had. I understand why you didn't tell me the last few days, and you know I _never_ usually ask, but…."

"You want to know what I saw that night before I woke up sick," Kitty finished. She inhaled slowly before she looked at Bobby. She had no idea how the vision she'd had was going to affect him, so she braced herself for the worst, "In that timeline, you and I," She paused for a moment, moving her fingers through her hair, "I… we…. There were times where you and I would sneak off together and we'd…."

Kitty wasn't sure why she was having such a hard time getting her words out. This was Bobby she was talking to. He had been her best friend for years, and now he was even more than that, just like he had been in the visions, though at the same time, she knew they were nowhere close to where they had been in that timeline. She inhaled slowly once again and went back to trying to get her words out, "We'd sneak off when we could and we'd engage in…." Kitty rolled her eyes at herself, "For fuck's sake," She sighed, "We'd _sleep_ together," She said, trying to find the most tactful way to put it. "We were always careful about it, and at Camp X-Ray, I had been injected with something that was supposed to make it impossible for me to get pregnant permanently, because who would want the mutants to breed? But somehow, I had gotten…." Kitty felt a wave of nausea roll over her as her voice trailed off. She looked away from Bobby, whose expression had darkened with her telling over the vision, "I was pregnant, Bobby," She said at last in a soft tone.

She got to her feet, feeling like sitting was making her fidgety. She started pacing as she continued to tell her vision over to Bobby, "It wasn't supposed to be able to happen, because trust me, I can remember the pain of the injections they gave me, but it did. And I was _so_ terrified by the thought of it because there was _no_ way in hell we could have possibly raised a child in that time. When I told you, I swear I broke your heart, because if we had been living in a different time, we would have both been so happy, but at that moment, we were living in the most dangerous reality possible. We made the choice to send you back so we could prevent that night from happening. I couldn't remember the pregnancy happening after I sent you back, but you did. The person who gets sent back _always_ remembers. Unless, of course, something like Logan getting sent back in time happens and resets everything, in which case…."

Kitty didn't realize she was crying until she felt the hot tear slide down her frigid cheek. She rubbed at her cheek as she looked at Bobby, who was watching her, but for once, she was completely unable to read his expression, and that worried her more than anything.


End file.
